Inside the Kinshoden in Tokyo, the lights flickered, but outside the window was completely dark. This scene could easily give people the illusion that it was the middle of the night, but it was actually morning; people got up early, and after entering winter, the days became shorter and the nights longer, so the sun rose later.
"Your Majesty, the ministers have arrived," said an eunuch.
Guo Shao turned his head and took a look. The eunuch on duty today was Wang Zhong, the fat white eunuch. Guo Shao had never liked this eunuch from a personal point of view. They first met in Huainan. Wang Zhong was a confidant of the late Emperor Chai Rong. He had some problems with Guo Shao, so he had a bad first impression. Wang Zhong's voice sounded too feminine and a little coquettish to Guo Shao. After all, she was not a beautiful woman, so this tone of voice sounded a bit disgusting.
But Guo Shao still let him hold a high position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs because Wang Zhong had more experience and ability than other eunuchs; his actions also proved that he was more reliable, and he had made a contribution by intending to surrender early.
Eunuchs are no longer the situation in which they can depose and enthrone emperors like in the Tang Dynasty. Most of the emperors today are warriors, much more ruthless than eunuchs. At this time, eunuchs have no power in military and political affairs. Their status is not determined by their positions, but by whether they can appear in front of the emperor; because their life and death depends on the emperor's words. Wang Zhong can serve on duty in front of the emperor in Jinxiang Hall, which shows that Guo Shao values him. Guo Shao uses people to do things, and basically does not consider his likes and dislikes; if he only considers his preferences, he should be surrounded by beauties.
I understand. Guo Shao grunted.
Wang Zhong bent down and stepped back from the door without saying anything more.
Guo Shao was not putting on airs and deliberately making the ministers wait. Before he went to meet the ministers, he cleared his thoughts again. Most of the meetings held together like this were not about discussing anything, but about communication and decision-making; the real considerations and trade-offs were mostly prepared in private.
There were all kinds of new notes on the wall with many names written on them; there were messy files and papers on the desk, with words written on them, and circles and lines drawn on them. Guo Shao rubbed his temples, thinking that today's meeting could not be delayed for too long.
Guo Shao stood up and walked out of the secret room. The eunuch Wang Zhong calmly locked the door.
It was still dark, the wind was light, there were no mosquitoes in winter, and the surroundings were shrouded in silence. But this silence was not tranquility, as if it was impatiently waiting for the arrival of the storm.
We, the ministers, pay our respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live forever. Everyone bowed to the ground in unison, bringing immediate change to the chaotic and silent atmosphere.
Everyone, please stand up and sit down. Guo Shao walked to the upper chair and sat down.
Everyone stood up and returned to their seats, then remained silent, all very patient and unwilling to speak first. At this time, Guo Shao knew it was his turn to say a few words.
He said: "The Privy Council can order Fu Zhaoxu to stop harassing the border of Northern Han. Now it is almost the twelfth lunar month, and there are many festivals in the twelfth lunar month. If we continue to harass various places in Northern Han during the New Year and other festivals, it will easily lose the support of the people in Hedong. I think we should stop.
More than ten civil and military officials echoed the idea. Wang Pu, Li Chuyun and others at the front had different expressions, but they seemed to be thinking about something. The reason of not fighting during the festival was indeed a bit ridiculous, but no one argued with the emperor, they were just trying to figure out the mystery behind it.
Guo Shao first considered the arrangement for Fu Zhaoxu, who had already completed his mission. He continued: "Fu Zhaoxu has made many military achievements in this encounter. The Privy Council can call him back to reward him for his merits. I think Fu Zhaoxu is generally a calm person. When I lead the army in person at the beginning of next year, Fu Zhaoxu can stay in Tokyo. What do you think?"
I second your motion. No one would easily oppose the emperor's will.
Guo Shao added: After Fu Zhaoxu left, Zhang Guanghan, the commander of the left wing of the Longjie Army, and Liu Renzhan, Lin Renzhao and others might not be able to work together. The Privy Council issued a military order at the same time, ordering Zhang Guanghan's troops to garrison Liaozhou; Liu Renzhan's troops to return to Luzhou and station there, waiting for the transfer order. The war against the Northern Han Dynasty subsided for a while.
Wang Pudao: I obey your order.
This is not the end of the war, but just a rhythm. Guo Shao felt the flow of breath and suddenly felt that everything was just like a piece of music. If the music was always playing without ups and downs, it would be a chaotic noise; the rhythm of the music should be steady and orderly.
The chaotic analysis and planning, the numerous deployment ideas in his mind seemed to have settled. At this moment, Guo Shao finally found his spiritual rhythm, and his mood gradually cleared up.
His favorite battle was to take the initiative and seize the initiative, so that he could control every rhythm. As he felt the notes of the music, his mind gradually calmed down.
At this time Wei Renpu stood up and bowed and said: Your Majesty, the Privy Council has drafted a military strategy and is about to present it to Your Majesty.
Guo Shao immediately said: “Everyone here is an important official of the imperial court. Deputy Envoy Wei will talk to everyone for your reference.”
Here. Wei Renpu came forward, took out a picture with bold and eye-catching lines and hung it on the wooden frame at the side, then bowed to the top and bottom.
Wei Renpu stood up straight and said calmly: The Northern Han Kingdom is no longer allowed to exist in the world, and there is no need to negotiate for peace. The purpose of this war is to wipe out the Northern Han Kingdom and incorporate it into the Great Zhou.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Wei Renpu. Guo Shao also liked to listen to him talk about military affairs. Wei Renpu always showed a strong and powerful demeanor.
Wei Renpu stretched out his big hand from his robe sleeve, pointed at the map and said: If you want to destroy the Northern Han, you only need one place: Jinyang.
The Northern Han Dynasty had several barriers to protect Jinyang: First, Jinyang City itself had been managed by warlords for generations and was already one of the few great cities in the world. In addition, the people in Hedong were fierce and aggressive, and the soldiers had been through many battles. Therefore, it was difficult to capture the city quickly.
Second, the road to Jinyang was under threat from the Northern Han army. The terrain of Hedong was river-shaped, and the best route was the flat corridor between the mountains. One was from Jinzhou to Linfen along the Fen River; the other was along the corridor near Changping in Luzhou. The Northern Han had already made arrangements. Qinzhou was in Taiyue Mountain, and the road out of the valley could threaten the grain route from the east and west; Fenzhou threatened the Fenshui waterway; and Longzhou threatened the east and west routes.
Third, the Liao army had external aid. The Liao army may have two routes, one coming from the northern grasslands, through the Xindai Basin, which is the best route; and the Youzhou army coming from the northeast to the south.
However, the weaknesses of the Northern Han were also obvious. There were two points: first, the army was too weak. The full effort to defend Jinyang resulted in insufficient troops elsewhere, making it difficult to take the initiative to attack and harass. Second, the Liao army's rescue road was too far and there was not enough food and grass.
Guo Shao nodded in agreement, fortunately Wang Pu, Wei Renpu and others offered advice.
Wei Renpu bowed to Guo Shao, looked around and continued: "So our strategy is to use our strengths to attack their weaknesses. The biggest advantage of the Great Zhou over the Northern Han is that its military strength far exceeds that of the Northern Han. Therefore, I think we should use the advantage of numbers and military strength to avoid repeated wars, so as to clamp the wings and only take the heart."
In the first step, the elite troops of the army left Liaozhou and headed straight for Jinyang, forcing the main force of the Northern Han to retreat into the city and control the situation first.
The second step was to contain the enemy. The main forces of the army were divided into two groups, Jinzhou and Luzhou, and divided into two groups to attack Qinzhou, Fenzhou, Longzhou and other places, forcing the outer forces of the Northern Han army back to the city and containing them locally. Another group attacked Shizhou in the northwest; Yang Chongxun, the governor of Linzhou in the north, was ordered to threaten Lanzhou and other places.
The third step is to block reinforcements. Guard against the Liao army in Youzhou. Advance northward from Jinyang and press Xinzhou to prevent the Liao army from coming to Xindai for reinforcements.
Finally, they besieged the city and attacked Jinyang. At this time, Jinyang became an isolated city, so they besieged it and attacked the city. As long as Jinyang was taken, all the routes would be settled without fighting.
After hearing this, Guo Shao said: If you have slightly different opinions, please submit a letter within three days; we will discuss and decide on a plan after three days.
It was already bright outside the window. The side hall on the east side of Jinxiang Hall was facing the rising sun, and the whole room was unconsciously covered with a layer of light yellow light.